"It's not metal, it's not rock and roll, it's not anything you're used to. You'll just have to wait and see what we're like."

-Mike IX

The above quote summarizes the night very well. Experimental only begins to describe what these guys were like live. The night started with me entering the Red 7 and greeting Mike, who immediately identified me (I go to every EHG related thing in Austin, plus his IX is tattooed on my arm, so it's safe to say he knows who I am) and greeted me in return, telling me about how he had no idea what emergency caused Eyehategod to drop off the Neurosis show, how he planned to do some stuff with them after Corrections House is done touring and recording, and just other stuff - all to the sound of Black Flag's "My War" and the Melvins' "Gluey Porch Treatments" albums in the background.

We kept talking until smearCampaign greeted me, and I started talking to him about various subjects (1990's bands, stupid shit that happened at shows, and so on) until Skycrawler went on. The only way I can think of describing them is Sunn O))) crossed with the Melvins (Lysol, specifically) and a touch of Eyehategod's "Blank". They started up and didn't stop until the end of their thirty minute set. I actually dug the shit out of them, so...yeah. :lol:

I kept talking to smear and convinced him to buy a copy of Mike's poetry book, "Cancer as a Social Activity" and get him to sign it (which they both did), and I told Mike that since I had a shitty disposable camera that if he wanted, I could photograph the show and send him the pictures. He agreed, and he gave me an email address to send it to when I got them developed.

Finally, Corrections House went on. Since the set has to be seen to be truly experienced, I'll do the best I can to describe it. Sanford Parker started the show abruptly with an industrial drum beat and samples lasting about seven minutes or so, followed by Scott Kelly's guitar riffs (which changed sound from traditional guitar to piano at a moment's notice), Bruce Lamont's saxophone, and Mike grabbed his drink, his poetry book with Post-It tabs marking pages in it, a handful of notebooks, and papers with handwritten lyrics on it and started to do his spoken word thing.

At various times during the set, two members would step back and let the other two collaborate on a piece. For example, Bruce would record and sample the sound of amplified tin foil (no, I'm not joking, it had a fucking cord in it and everything) being slammed into the floor, scraped across the monitor, and let the audience scream into the microphone to sample it as well, and Scott would play feedback or some chords over it, or Mike reading from his book while Sanford would play on a drum machine. Eventually, they all got together and played Hoax the System, which was highlighted by an audience member grabbing a Corrections House banner and marching around the venue with it and Bruce running into the audience and grabbing random people to scream with him, followed by bringing out a semi-burned Bible, ripping it up, and throwing it into the audience. I grabbed a chunk, got it autographed by Bruce...and later lost it at the bar. :bouville:

After the show, I wound up talking to Scott, who apologized for throwing water at me to get me to stop taking pictures and gave me two picks as a gift. I then got Bruce to sign my aforementioned Bible chunk and complimented him on his Led Zeppelin 2 performance; he loved that I told him that he sounded exactly like Robert Plant and that I put the sticker on my wallet, and Mike told me about how he opened for GG Allin (he got up and sang backup with Merle's microphone, Merle pushed him, and GG threw a cymbal at him, which split his lower lip open down to his chin - he later mentioned that he said he was glad that he never paid money to see GG Allin), which led to me jokingly asking when the autobiography is coming out, and he said that he wants to. "We've been around for twenty-five years and I have a bunch of pictures, but I can't find a publishing company, someone to organize something, and enough money for it."

I then promised him that I'd help him with the book, even if it was expensive, and even if I didn't, I told him that I'd be willing to work for him if he wanted. He thanked me, and shortly after that, smear left to go home and I left to check out the "blasphemous Mardi Gras" (as Mike put it) before I went home.

Overall, this was a fun night, and I highly recommend Corrections House to anyone who is a fan of any of the artists in the group. You won't regret it.

Corrections House
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Last City Zero (poetry read from "Cancer as a Social Activity")
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Hoax the System (extended)

bigguytoo9

02-10-2013, 07:12 AM

Yeah this group is WEIRD!!!! I saw a video for the first song they released. Pretty cool buncha members in the band though.

ClydeNut

02-10-2013, 02:48 PM

This group is kind of a dream team for me. They really need to come to LA sooner rather than later.

smearCampaign

02-10-2013, 10:03 PM

RampinUp46's review summed up everything about the night quite well. It was an awesome performance IMO. If you are in any of the cities they perform and enjoy any type of industrial/noise you need to go to see these guys.

300%_Density

02-11-2013, 06:14 AM

I really wanted to see this, sadly Ft. Smith Arkansas was the closest to me and that is not a short drive as it is. Hopefully they will still come around fairly soon at some point.